Richardson Maturity Model
ELI5 — The Vibe Check
The Richardson Maturity Model is just the formal name for the REST Maturity Model — named after Leonard Richardson who defined the four levels. It's the same concept: Level 0 is 'HTTP is just a transport,' Level 3 is 'my API responses contain links telling you what to do next.' Most teams debate about it in architecture meetings and then ship Level 2 anyway.
Real Talk
The Richardson Maturity Model (RMM) is Leonard Richardson's classification of REST API maturity into four levels: L0 (POX/RPC over HTTP), L1 (resource-based URIs), L2 (HTTP verbs + status codes), L3 (hypermedia controls/HATEOAS). It's commonly referenced in API design discussions to evaluate RESTfulness.
When You'll Hear This
"The Richardson Maturity Model is our API design rubric — we target Level 2 minimum." / "Level 3 with HATEOAS sounds great in theory but adds complexity most clients don't leverage."
Related Terms
API First Design
API First Design means you write the API contract (like an OpenAPI spec) before writing any code — like drawing blueprints before building a house. Fronten
HATEOAS (Hypermedia As The Engine Of Application State)
HATEOAS is the REST principle that nobody actually follows.
REST (Representational State Transfer)
REST is a set of rules for how APIs should behave. Think of it as the etiquette guide for servers and clients talking to each other.
REST Maturity Model
The REST Maturity Model is a scorecard for how 'RESTful' your API actually is, from Level 0 (you're basically using HTTP as a tunnel) to Level 3 (full hype